| A grim comedy, which happens in 1796 Germany, takes the Grimm Fairy Tales and gives them a twist. This movie begins with a Ghostbusters riff: the job of Will (Matt Damon) and Jacob (Heath Ledger) is to exercise a town of witches and demons.
However, their elaborate scheme and acts of fraud are uncovered by a French general, played by Jonathan Pryce. The movie really begins here as they are sent, with their lives at stake, on an errand to find missing children from a nearby "enchanted forest".
As con artists, the Brothers Grimm are convinced that someone (or group) is running an even better scam.
Well, as a dark comedy it has some wit, faint though it is. Like a drunk, the film turns and sways between slapstick, puns, and very mild horror. It's not Monty Python, it tries to be that kind of funny, but it doesn't offer laugh out loud funny. This is surprising considering the director is Terry Gilliam.
Heath Ledger plays the studious, fanciful brother, Jack. He writes down all of the unusual events - torn between belief and suspicion. This film encompasses most of the characters from well known fairy tales: Red Riding Hood, the Big Bad Wolf, Sleeping Beauty and the Wicked Queen.
The movies ends with a "happily", but not with any satisfaction. |
